Dissent is intricately linked to the qualities of public space. While the First Amendment protects dissent,
historical legal and social mechanisms have regulated protest and its relationship with public space. In the
latter half of the twentieth century, a rigorous legal framework has emerged to both protect and regulate
protest. Yet free speech rights are highly contested. The media are complicit in relating protesters to
violence. This perception has been thoroughly constructed in the media since the World Trade Organization
protests in Seattle in 1999. The September 11th terrorist attacks have further amplified concerns for security
in public spaces. The increased securitization of the city during times of mass protests has been verbally and
visually presented in both local and national media. This thesis focuses on the media’s rationalization of the
securitized city and the potential violence of protesters and questions the implications for free speech rights.

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